Tag: Test Car 2

  • 26/01/20 – Winter Gala

    This weekend has of course been the GCRs winter gala, we stepped away from Rothley and ADB977107. To open the doors at Quorn and allow you to see what we do, see Test Car 2 and Madge.  It was great to see so many of our followers and supports and thank you for taking the time to come and see us.20200126_121242

    Work, however, did not stop.  Nick, Ross, and Jake re-floored E280364 and changed the few rotten planks on E281882.

    Dave and I along with Eddie and Harry played hosts for our visitors.  Dave explaining the Test Cars past and I demonstrating some signwriting, namely the W.H.Smith & Son wording for the kiosk at Loughborough83421767_1095605867498752_7962423583538413568_n

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    Once the floors had been completed Nick, Ross and Jake then moved on to the overhaul of the 15″ vacuum cylinder from B385782.20200125_141559 Sunday and an unscheduled visitor into the yard, namely 46521 deputising for 4953 which had failed that morning. We took advantage of the vist and had the Iron Ore tippler moved to the centre road so we could fit the 15″ cylinder before we opened the doors.

    Once the loco had left the cylinder was placed back under the Tippler and the doors of the test car opened.

    A vacuum test was carried out after a hose change and the vehicle deemed to be fit, just awaiting better weather to complete the vehicle.

    Madge was on display and had the opportunity to make some friends on the few trips around the yard.

    The sign painted Saturday was cleaned of chalk and will be collected next weekend to be fitted to the Kiosk at Loughborough20200126_193937

    Jakes final task was to clear the build-up of moss from inside the tippler and in due course extra drain holes will be being added to the wagons floor.20200126_152036

    Finally, for this update a few views from the gala the visiting NER petrol although Diesel-powered rail car and our van train “plus” including Shochood B and Loaded Conflat.image5

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  • 19/01/20 – Charters, Coaches and Cylinders

    This week has seen the GCR host a number of photo charters with the visiting K1.  4 days in total with a mixture of stock – Minerals, Crimson & Cream, and Maroon Coaches, but of relevance to us the Van Train.  Matt was in attendance for 3 of the days with Wednesday being the depute of the loaded Conflat and ‘Madge‘.

    Image courtesy of David Pond
    Image courtesy of Jack Haynes
    Image courtesy of David Pond
    Image courtesy of David Pond
    Image courtesy of Jack Shaw
    Image courtesy of Matt Toms
    Image courtesy of Jack Haynes
    Image courtesy of Matt Toms
    Image courtesy of David Pond
    Image courtesy of Matt Toms
    Image courtesy of Matt Toms

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    Friday and Matt visited the Mountsorrel And Rothley Community Heritage Centre to begin the task of signwriting their Tar Tank. The Eastside was completed and a return visit will be required to finish the vehicle.

    A now seemingly rare day at Quorn on Saturday, with us preparing for the gala next week. With the TPOs unable to run due a Temporary Speed Restriction just on the approach to Quorn, we shall be opening up the Test Car and having our own little open day. We are planned to show what we do on a weekend-ly basis to visitors to the gala, and are planning to show a vacuum cylinder overhaul, re-flooring a wagon and a release valve overhaul. To preapre for the above, we swapped the cylinder from under the ‘regular’ LNER Steel High E281882 fitting a new branch-pipe and overhauled release valve, and removed the 15″ cylinder from the Iron Ore Tippler B385782 ready for overhaul (this is awaiting an overhaul kit). Some attention was paid to the Test Car, with Harry, Eddie and James cleaning and tidying up in preparation to open it again.  This trio also tidied some of the yard area too.

    Sunday saw more work on the Yellow Coach. Dave worked on re-panelling the last area where there was a gas heater, in front of the guard’s office. Matt began by painting the boards he’d fitted last week. He then assisted me in cutting and fitting the conduit to the sockets. Eddie started cleaning the mess area, and has made a huge difference to the state of the walls. Nick concentrated on fitting the last window that had been welded up on Saturday (Thanks Jamie!). Dave finished off by painting the areas of bare metal welded in, and then fitting a bit of wood above the guards door, with its fire exit sign.

  • 17/11/19 – Loaded and Secured

    17/11/19 – Loaded and Secured

    Unusually this update begins on Thursday with a trip to Medstead & Four Marks.  The reason for the visit, to pick up some Conflat chains.  Our thanks go to the Mid-Hants Railway Wagon group for offering them to us, they were in far better condition than our own. 

    Friday saw the December issue of Rail Express hit the shelves with an article looking ant our work on Test Car 2IMG-20191115-WA0000

    On to Saturday and I continued with the signwriting started last weekend.

    Nick drilled and attached the chains to the Conflat whilst Ross and Dave drilled and secured the additional rails placed on the vehicle last week.

    Then the main event, before the light failed and after I had completed the high-level signwriting we lifted BD4303B on to B505313. With the subframe missing we had to first lower the container on to a set of sleepers.

    The Container was then lifted from each end and the sleepers removed.

    Once sat on the rails the Container was secured to the Conflat.  Earlier before the lift Nick and Ross also applied the identification plate above the door.

    To allow the lift I left off the branding and applied it Sunday as well as a few other signwriting finishing touches.

    Nick, Ross, Jake and Dave applied Bauxite to the Conflat. adding heat to cure the paint as they went along.  Sufficiently drying the vehicle before the rain started.

    All of the conflat chains had reached the end of there threads although reasonably tight we took some steps to resolve. We couldn’t move inwards by a ring as the chains were not long enough so our next option was to shorten them.  We did this using an old BR trick, one of the links was heated in each chain and bent.

    With the shortened chains we resecured the container. Jubilee clips were also added to prevent inadvertent loosening.

    With it also being the Last Hurrah we saw a few of our vehicles in operation.  Notably the Vans.

    The van train is now stabled in the yard at Quorn in preparation for the Winter Brake overhaul and to finish Ross and Dave serviced the Test Cars Generator.20191117_144934

  • 08/09/19 – Test Car on display

    08/09/19 – Test Car on display

    Here we are, Diesel Gala and Test Car 2 is on display for the public. Dave and I were in attendance for all 3 days with Nick and Jake poping in between TPO duties.

     

    We are humbled by the number of people who came to see us,  especially those of you that regularly read this website. Thank you all for your generous donations and finally thank you to those former BR and Serco staff that came to see your Test Car.
    Specifically, Paul Mosley, Ray Smith, Chris O’Donnell and Dave Moore.

     

    A few more images from over the gala:

     

    Back on to wagons next weekend, something a little flatter we feel.

  • 01/09/19 – Test Car Done

    01/09/19 – Test Car Done

    We begin this weekend with an exciting number of items.  Our thanks go to Serco Rail Technical Services for the loan of these items that will aid in telling Test Car 2s story.

    The most exciting of which being the Slip Coupling, with the coupling and coach reunited we re-hung it back in its rightful place.

    All of these pieces of equipment will be discussed further during our tours over the diesel gala. Work of cause continues with the gala target in view.  My first task was to progress the “A” end door, marking out, masking and applying the stripes to the door.

    Jake cleaned up and applied undercoat to the buffers. Whilst Dave continued with the “B” end headstock details before being assisted by Jake.

    Nick and Ross scrapped down the eastside underframe before once again Jake took the lead and sprayed it black.

    We also had a look at our new signs for next weekend’s opening. Hopefully, these will leave visitors in no doubt whether we are open or not.

    On to Sunday and preparations continue, sometime in the late 80s a member of the testing team applied a car sticker to the “A” End door, we decided to recreate this detail.

    The rest of the team continued with the eastside underframe springs and axle box covers as well as the buffers receiving black a coat of black.

    With the car sticker complete I continued sign-writing, Brake Stars, ETH Lightning bolts, wheel profile markings, and the builder’s plate.

    Nick and Ross then turned their attention to the defective hand brake on the Steel-High

    Dave, Jake and I then turned to preparing for the public.  Tidying, an extension to the fence and adding the components to the steel high required for slip/brake testing.

    We shall not go into detail yet, all will be revealed next weekend.  The last thing to do, however, test the operation of the slip coupling.

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    All is in place for our first public opening for Test Car 2.  6th, 7th and 8th September Quorn and Woodhouse station behind the signal box. Please come and see us and we will explain this unique vehicle’s place in Railway History.20190901_201016.jpg

  • 26/08/19 – A Splash of Colour

    26/08/19 – A Splash of Colour

    Welcome to another Quorn Wagon & Wagon update. This weekend has been of the hot, Bank Holiday variety which meant 3 days of shade seeking to keep cool. In between this, we’ve been working towards the completion of ‘2 car’ which is becoming tantalisingly close. Matt started by applying the coaches identification to the east side, while Jake painted the door shuts in Rail Blue. Nick and I cleaned, scraped and painted the ‘A’ End headstock, so we would be ready to colour code everything later in the weekend. Nick also took the black paint and touched in anywhere on the bogies that required more paint.

    With the South End signwriting completed, Matt moved to the ‘B’ end sliding gangway door to paint it into undercoat for the Warning Yellow paint. Once completed, he then started the ‘B’ End signwriting.

    I cleaned and then painted the ‘A’ end ETH boxes into their Mid Red undercoat, ready for the Light Orange. This took a while as it required a steady hand. The undercoat dried quite quickly, so Jake followed me, painting the ETH boxes into the Light Orange enamel paint. I performed a repair to the Volvo loading shovel, which enabled its movement to the other side of the turntable road in preparation of the upcoming Diesel Gala. This also involved moving Danny, which proved a farcical affair, as said dumper is currently without steering. With the end door undercoat dry, Matt applied a layer of Warning Yellow to the gangway door and the finished off some of the ETH Orange. As a final act, Matt mixed up some filler and applied it to the Slip End gangway door, ready for Sunday.

    Matt began Saturday with a quick maths exercise, as he attempted to work out the spacing of the B end wasp stripes, as these are unequal.

    I sanded the filler applied to the Slip end door, and then undercoated the door, ready for Warning Yellow Gloss. At some point in the future the Slip End door is going to have to be removed and planed down as it catches both the frame at the top and the floor, but for now, it can stay in place, especially as it won’t be opened regularly. Dave concentrated on the ‘B’ end where he cleaned and painted the headstock black. Matt also wire-brushed the OLEO buffers fitted to the slip end. We had planned to quarter them, however with the amount of wagons it has been coupled to, the buffers are quite scratched and to polish them will take quite a lot of work. These will be painted black in due course.

    Matt and Jake then fitted the Main Reservoir Cocks back to the Air Braked LNER steel high. This has been chosen as the ‘wagon under test’ for our opening of the Test Car at the Diesel Gala. These were then painted up into the undercoat for the yellow, by Jake.

    The undercoat on the slip end door had dried, so I gave it a first coat of Warning Yellow. This got a second coat on Monday morning.  Matt also painted the Lighting bolt on the Orange painted ETH boxes.  Monday also saw a shunt take place in the south yard, which mainly removed the Test Car from the dock, and replaced the GUV in the dock.  After reconnecting power and resiting the steps to the Test Car and the tool van, we got stuck in.  The ‘B’ End of the test car was the focus of the attention, with the Air and vacuum pipes picked out in Red and Yellow, and the ETH boxes painted into their mid-red undercoat.  Matt also applied the ‘essay’ to the end of the coach.

    Dave painted the air cocks on the Steel High. The east side fuel filler cap also got a polish.

    And finally, some finishing pictures of the Test Car in its Gala Position.

    With the Test Car in the final furlong to the finish, we find ourselves completing smaller and smaller jobs. Next week will see the East Side underframe and bogies cleaned and painted black, and a big tidy to open the test can to the public. Thanks for reading!

  • 18/08/19 – Matt on a hot tin roof

    18/08/19 – Matt on a hot tin roof

    This weekend was ‘”R” day,  that’s R for roof.  First job application of Gloss to “2 Car’s” roof furniture and Red Oxide to the Generator Exhaust and guttering around the water filler.

    Whilst I was taking care of that. Nick and Dave slightly rearranged the containers to allow us to set up staging on the west side of the vehicle. Then began the main event.  First a coat of primer suitable for galvanised steel.

    This left a very nice blue tinge to the roof but as the instructions recommended overcoat as soon as possible that’s just what we did. So after a lunch break out with the undercoat.

    With the roof done, for now, Dave turned to the Sole bar and applied a coat of black gloss.

    The new depot allocation was also applied.20190817_182155

    On to Sunday and roof work continued with the topcoat of BR Roof Grey being applied.  Although it’s only a short sentence here.  The amount of work is considerable.  As an idea, almost 3 Gallons of paint was applied this weekend.

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    With the roof done,  we continued with some detailing. Dave painted above the gangways and the gangways themselves. I neatened up and completed the lining whilst Nick made touch-ups to fly damage and small areas of overspray.

    The list is getting smaller and the end is beginning to come it to view.  We have enjoyed doing “2 Car”  but honestly, we can’t wait to get back on to wagons and containers.

  • 11/08/19 – Test Car two sides

    The weather, as usual, has been it’s changeable self.  With this in mind, we took some time to do a midweek spray. Nick, Ross and I masked and applied the Flame Red.

    Whist the side was being sprayed I applied undercoat and topcoat to the Bogie Axel end covers.  Looking through Daves images from his BR test days the hassler unit appears to have had a blue base hence why we have gone with this.

    On to Saturday and scattered showers I did, however, manage to add further details to the bogies painting the springs and dampers, the Smiths and Hasler as well as the P1 wheel flange marking to the “A” End bogie.

    Whilst I did this Nick and his eldest Liam took some time to look over the hydravane compressor which has been found to have a faulty fuel pump.

    On to Sunday and no change in the weather, high winds as we applied the masking.20190811_095523.jpgWith what can only be described as luck we applied the Rail blue between showers and changes in wind direction.

     

    The delicate task of removing the masking commenced and as the sun reappeared we gazed upon the Test Car with its DM&EE livery applied to both sides.

     

    To celebrate a flash of the head and tail lamps and a toot of the electric horns.

     

    During the moments of dampness, I took the opportunity to sign write one of the first aid boxes for the brake vans.20190811_163840With 3 weeks until the GCR diesel gala and with the topcoat on both side we are happy to say the Vehicle will be available for public viewing at the event.  Its location is of course still to be discussed with the GCR, but we will be manning the vehicle over the 3 days and welcome people to come and view our work and Daves old workplace.  If the weather holds Roof paint is scheduled for next weekend.

     

     

     

  • 04/08/19 – Déjà Two (car)

    04/08/19 – Déjà Two (car)

    This weekend, our progress has again been focused on Test Car 2, getting it ready for our upcoming public opening.  Last week, we had to leave 2 car with its filler applied, but unsanded due to the weather. This weekend we have sanded and filled and sanded some more. Matt also cleaned out the gutter, which was full of wet, flaky roof paint.

    Dave and I continued sanding the bodyside, concentrating of the filler. With the filler all sanded, we identified areas that needed further filling. Using the Wadpol, Matt polished all the windows to ready them for masking. The masking film requires a clean surface to stick to. Matt then began masking the windows in preparation for the undercoat. I assisted with the application of the window film.

    Dave resumed his focus on the ends of the coach, sanding and filling the gangway fitted end of the vehicle. This end of the coach appears to have suffered the attention of the metal maggots at the bottom, so Dave has made it as good as we can with fibreglass and normal filler. img_20190803_121350-13250327592165418627.jpg

    Come the end of Saturday, the coach was left filled, sanded smooth and masked.

    Sunday rolls around and with it Matt passes his Safety Critical train dispatch assessment, as a member of station staff.wp-15649500207896676092388480076175.jpg

    While Matt completed that, Dave and I set about rectifying an issue with our Perkins genset.  The stop solenoid hasn’t been able to pull far enough to allow the generator to start, which usually requires a pull on the fuel pump linkages. We removed said article, and took it to the saloon to test it.

    The testing revealed that the solenoid worked, but Dave dissected it and found some dirty contacts between the main and auxiliary coils on the solenoid. Both coils work together when pulling the linkage, but then one get switched out to hold the linkage back. with the contacts cleaned, we refitted and adjusted the solenoid which now works a treat!

    The coach got undercoated today, with Jake applying once I’d shown him how to assemble and use the pressure pot I’d recently bought. We thinned down the undercoat, and I set Jake on his way. Jake has been the first of us to use Test Car 2’s compressor to spray paint. Dave continued his work at the gangway end by brush painting inside the gangway, and the gangway faceplate.

    Like with the other side, once the grey was done and dry, I went down the coach with some white gloss for the white lines (after an alfresco lunch!)

    Once completed, I cleaned the spray gun out, and then used it to apply black gloss to the underframe and bogies of the painted side of the coach. As is usual when spraying underframes, I had somebody following me getting areas I couldn’t get to. Whilst this was occurring, Dave painted the gangway ends in black gloss.

    Matt polished and then painted details around the air brake distributor and reservoir.

    In non test car 2 related news. We’ve found a number of conflat chains, which we will be preparing for secure our 2 containers to our 2 conflats.img_20190804_163119-18296875344157679845.jpg

    That is where we leave this weekend’s update. We’ve ordered the flame red for  this side, which Matt picks up and we then apply tomorrow evening. With upcoming holidays and a looming deadline for the coaches completion, some after work working is required!

    Thanks for reading!

  • 28/07/19 – Quorn Wet & Wet

    28/07/19 – Quorn Wet & Wet

    Well, after a hot week the weather conspired against us and its rained, all weekend.  This, of course, limits the work we can carry out on the exterior of “2 Car” although Saturday morning we did manage to apply filler to a number of areas and sand down a little before the rain took hold.

     

    With all we could do outside done, we turned to some drier activities.  Dave continued with the interpretation displays and an internal clean and tidy.

     

    Whilst I began the task of refurbishing a number of first aid kits for our brakevans.

     

    Our thanks also go to the Ops Department for bringing our post Test Car project to Quorn.  Namely our 2 Conflats for a pair of recently acquired containers.20190727_092849.jpg

    On to Sunday and the same weather-wise.  I continued with the first aid kits

     

    Interlaced with the first stage of refurbishment for a “Not to be Moved Board”.

     

    Ross lowered the ceiling to diagnose a fault on the 24v supply side. The issue has been identified and components need to be acquired to rectify.

     

    Looking into the ceiling space and seeing the original 1962 ceiling gave us an opportunity to recover the ceiling vents.  These will go into stock and available if required for another vehicle.

     

    We resited the compressor as the gangway will once again be used routinely so the compressor is currently an 11 bar trip hazard.

     

    Finally, we made a start on enclosing the Generator for when public access is allowed into the vehicle.  The compressor will also be enclosed.20190728_182812.jpg

    We are wishing for better weather as our deadline for “2 Car” looms ever closer.